Movie picks

Tools

The Black Dahlia (R) In this story of a 1947 Los Angeles murder involving the mutilated corpse of a beautiful woman, Director Brian DePalma turns the lurid underworld of James Ellroy's novel into an exercise in high-camp pseudo-noir. In an effort not to leave a mess in his wake, DePalma re-applies all the Hollywood artifice Ellroy spent his career trying to strip away. Scott Renshaw

Tinseltown

Cars (G)

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Click (PG-13)

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The Covenant (PG-13) Four boys who belong to a supernatural legacy must stop the forces they released into the world years ago without turning on one another. Not reviewed

Cinemark 16, Tinseltown

The Devil Wears Prada (PG-13)

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Facing the Giants (PG) When a high school football coach faces a series of failures and difficulties, he calls on God for help. After an unexpected messenger appears, he and his team test their courage in a fight between faith and fear. Not reviewed

Chapel Hills 15, Cinemark 16, Tinseltown

*Flyboys (PG-13) The movie highlights the dramatic, short careers of the first World War I fighter pilots in their bi-planes over France. It's a grand yarn of adventure and catastrophe with lots of exciting air battles big, emotional and sentimental (without being sappy), and sweet enough that a passionate kiss is the "big sex scene." MaryAnn Johanson

Chapel Hills 15, Cinemark 16, Tinseltown

Gridiron Gang (PG-13) Led by their counselor, teens at a juvenile detention center band together on the football field to learn life lessons. Not reviewed

Carmike 10, Chapel Hills 15, Cinemark 16, Tinseltown

The Guardian (PG-13) A young man (Ashton Kutcher) enlists in the Coast Guard to escape his problems and is mentored by an experienced rescuer (Kevin Costner) who has been hardened by a tragic accident in his past. Not reviewed

Carmike 10, Chapel Hills 15, Cinemark 16, Tinseltown

How To Eat Fried Worms (PG)

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The Illusionist (PG-13) Paul Giamatti and Edward Norton star in this tale of a magician who uses his talents to win the love of his childhood sweetheart, now a woman above his social standing. Not reviewed

Chapel Hills 15, Tinseltown

Invincible (PG) A part-time bartender and full-time Philadelphia Eagles fan, Vince Papale (Mark Wahlberg), tries out for the team during an open call and becomes an NFL player. Not reviewed

Chapel Hills 15, Tinseltown

Jackass: Number Two (R) The original creators and cast of the MTV series return, unleashing even more outrageous and over-the-top stunts. Not reviewed

*Little Miss Sunshine (R) Even with Little Miss Sunshine's occasional notes of wackiness, the cast is uniformly excellent, and its script so deftly captures the emotion of a dysfunctional family road trip that it's less like a sitcom than like a clan's real day-to-day life squashed into 101 minutes. " Tricia Olszewski

Kimball's Twin Peak

Monster House (PG) When three kids discover that the neighbor's house is alive and eats things, they struggle to convince the babysitter, police and a tough guy named Skull. They must venture inside to solve the mystery in this animated adventure produced by Steven Spielberg and Robert Zemeckis.

Cinemark 16

Open Season (PG) A grizzly bear named Boog and a mule deer named Elliot form an unlikely alliance and lead the forest creatures in a battle against the hunters. This animated adventure features the voices of Martin Lawrence, Ashton Kutcher, Gary Sinise and Debra Messing. Not reviewed

*Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (PG-13) Dead Man's Chest is over-plotted. By all rights, the 150 minutes should feel like a slog and a half through its plot points, but instead it's actually a crackling piece of action filmmaking. Scott Renshaw

Cinemark 16, Tinseltown

Pulse (PG)

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School for Scoundrels (PG-13) Jon Heder (Napoleon Dynamite) is back in action as a lovable loser. The twist: Now he's looking for love, with surprise! no luck. Though there's plenty of comedic talent in the cast, it's under-used. Aside from a few yukks here and there, the film is flat. And worse, it's predictable, with gags you'll see coming a mile away. Pete Freedman

Carmike 10, Chapel Hills 15, Cinemark 16, Tinseltown

*The Science of Sleep (R) An infectious, whimsical and often magical film about a wacky inventor who returns to Paris after the death of his father and has difficulties distinguishing between his real life and dream life. He finds his creativity dormant until he meets Stephanie, a bookish introvert. The film casts a spell on audiences looking for a quirky, unconventional romance that is never quite as simple as it seems. Jeff Sneider

Kimball's Twin Peak

Superman Returns (PG-13)

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Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (PG-13)

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Wired To Win (NR) A documentary about the Tour de France that combines live-action footage with computer and medical imagery to demonstrate how the human brain responds to physical challenge. Not reviewed

Cinemark 16 IMAX

Zoom (PG)

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*The Departed (R) See review on page 31.

Carmike 10, Chapel Hills 15, Cinemark 16, Tinseltown

*Employee of the Month (PG-13) See review on page 32.

Carmike 10, Chapel Hills 15, Cinemark 16, Tinseltown

Love's Abiding Joy (PG) A man and his wife struggle to cope with their daughter's death while working to maintain their frontier ranch. The sheriff schemes to foreclose on neighboring ranches, while a romance between the couple's son and sheriff's daughter adds complications.

Carmike 10, Chapel Hills 15

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (R) Two couples on a roadtrip have an accident and summon the local sheriff. They're taken to a secluded and horrifying house where a young aspiring killer is being nurtured.